Author: chicagoinquirer

by Stephen Groves WASHINGTON  — The House is headed toward a vote Tuesday afternoon on legislation to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the culmination of a monthslong effort that has overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. When a small bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around House Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills see the House floor, it appeared a longshot effort — especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.” But both Trump and…

by Chinedu Asadu LIGARI, Nigeria  — The villagers in northwestern Nigeria were settling in for church service when motorcycle-riding gunmen invaded, shooting at random and seizing at least 62 people, including the pastor and several children. They were marched into the nearby bush, then forced to walk for two days to a forest hideout. There, they said, they were held for nearly a month while relatives and other villagers sold anything they could — farmland, livestock, motorcycles — to raise the ransom demanded for their release. They got little food and sleep, were told to renounce Christianity, and saw two…

by Andrew Seligman CHICAGO  — The Chicago Bears find themselves in unfamiliar territory in sole possession of the NFC North lead and staring down at the rest of the division. The Bears (7-3) have won seven of eight after squeezing past the Minnesota Vikings 19-17 to pull out yet another down-to-the-wire game, and they’re looking more and more like a team that could be headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 even if they’re not making it easy on themselves. Just don’t mention the postseason possibility to coach Ben Johnson. “We’re way far away from that,” he…

by Will Graves PITTSBURGH  — Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his fractured left wrist could still play on Sunday when the Steelers visit Chicago. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the team will evaluate Rodgers’ availability later in the week and that the key to Rodgers’ potential return will be whether he can function safely with a brace protecting the wrist. Mason Rudolph, who filled in capably in the second half of Sunday’s 32-14 over Cincinnati, would start for AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (6-4) when it faces the NFC North-leading Bears (7-3) if Rodgers cannot. The 41-year-old Rodgers, the oldest active…

SALT LAKE CITY  — Keyonte George made 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Lauri Markkanen scored 47 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls 150-147 on Sunday night in the NBA’s highest-scoring game of the season. George finished with 32 points — including six in the second OT. Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh each had 16 points, and Kevin Love and Svi Mykhaiuluk each added 10 as the Jazz won for the second time in three games after losing six of seven. Coby White scored 27 points and Josh Giddey had 26 points, 12 rebounds…

by Rio Yamat and Josh Funk CHICAGO-The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday it is lifting all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed at 40 major airports during the country’s longest government shutdown. Airlines can resume their regular flight schedules beginning Monday at 6 a.m. EST, the agency said. The announcement was made in a joint statement by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. Citing safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies. It had been in place…

by Dave Campbell MINNEAPOLIS  — The Chicago Bears have built this breakthrough season on the simplest and most effective way to win with a work-in-progress quarterback — a turnover margin that’s become the envy of the league. The Bears are all take and no give these days. Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard kickoff return in the final minute set up Cairo Santos for his fourth field goal of the game, a 48-yarder as time expired that gave the Bears a 19-17 victory on Sunday after the Minnesota Vikings scored the go-ahead touchdown with 50 seconds left. “This isn’t the same old Bears,”…

by Olivia Diaz, Mike Catalini and Maya Sweedler FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Democrat Nicole Cole and her team spent much of their 2025 campaign for the state legislature standing in places like Weis Markets in Spotsylvania County, railing against prices that she said were too high: at least $3.79 for a dozen eggs, up to $7.99 for a pound of ground beef, $9.39 for coffee beans. Her effort paid off when she ousted a 36-year Republican from his state House seat. She was one of 13 Virginia Democrats to flip competitive House seats and contribute to big election wins in…

by Curtis Yee, Bernald Mcghee Carley Petesch and Nell Clark President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelersat airports and generated long lines at some food banks. The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed the measure Monday. The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers —…

by Alanna Durkin Richer and Michael R. Blood LOS ANGELES  — The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026. The complaint filed in California federal court targets the new congressional map pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to a similar Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump. It sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Republican administration and the Democratic governor, who’s seen…